Planning your Wet Room

Planning your Wet Room – A guide from CPM Exeter. Bathrooms are a very important room in every home. They are where we get ready for every day, to make us feel confident and prepared. So it’s important that your bathroom is a comfortable environment. To achieve a relaxing, simple and stylish design, many people are choosing to opt to build a wet room in their home instead of a traditional bathroom. Wet rooms can be easy to maintain and feel luxurious, so take a look at our guide to choosing a wet room in your house…

What is a wet room?

A wet room is a water-tight room used as an alternative or extra to additional bathrooms, predominantly in modern homes. A traditional wet room simply contains a shower and nothing else, with no shower basin or tray, simply the waterproofed tiled flooring which is usually a continuation of the same design as the walls. In some countries, a wet room is defined as a shower area separated from the rest of the bathroom by a screen, but in the UK many people choose to include the other elements of a bathroom in their wet room such as a toilet and sink.

Why should I install a wet room in my home?

There are a number of advantages to installing a wet room in your home. One of the primary reasons why many of our customers go forward with wet rooms in Exeter is for aesthetic value. Wet rooms are a great way to achieve a contemporary look in your home. They appear stylish, sleek and will stay in fashion for many years, so you won’t feel your bathroom is outdated down the line, and neither would buyers were you to consider selling your property. A wet room is streamlined, and works incredibly well as a coherent room that will look amazing in your home.

This leads us on to another bonus of wet rooms – they add value to your home! Wet rooms are highly desirable to prospective buyers, emulating a spa-esque sense of luxury that most people are drawn to. Although there is rarely a fixed price of value to be defined for wet rooms without considering individual specific designs, installing this feature in your home will certainly appeal to viewers in a significant way. However, if your property is a family home rather than, for example, a modern professional’s or couple’s apartment, you may want to consider implementing a wet room as a second bathroom, as many buyers will expect a bath.

Wet rooms are also a brilliant option if you are looking to maximise space in a smaller bathroom. Due to the open-plan nature of the room, with no shower cubicle jutting out into floor space and so on, fittings can be installed in your wet room leaving more space for movement. This makes wet rooms more comfortable to use, creating the indulgent, relaxing atmosphere that makes these rooms so popular. Not to mention that with less corners and fiddly details, wet rooms are much easier to clean than traditional bathrooms.

You may be surprised to find that wet rooms are actually more watertight than the standard bathroom, due to the watertight membrane on the walls and floors, along with all round waterproof tiling and seals. This means that a wet room stays in good condition for longer than a standard bathroom with little upkeep. It will build up no damp, which is great for your health and ease of use, and is also brilliant for your house. As any professional plumbers and bathroom fitters in Exeter will tell you, any bathroom made well is perfectly safe and good for daily use over many years, but wet rooms add that extra bit of glamour with a bonus of a waterproofed finish!

How to plan a wet room

Exeter bathroom fitters can advise you on exactly how to plan your wet room, but there are a few tips we can share with you to consider when deciding between a traditional bathroom and a wet room. Of course, waterproofing is the most important part of any wet room as otherwise the water may cause damage. Bathroom fitters Exeter will build a lowered shower area to one side, with a glass wall partition to prevent water spray onto other features such as toilets. The entire room must be “tanked” with a waterproof membrane, often made out of fibreglass or zinc, so that there are absolutely no leaks.

Building from the ground upwards, you’ll need to ensure you have a suitable floor drain, so if your floor is made out of concrete or wood, find an alternative drainage material, and then choose your tiles. A sturdy floor is a must, and a slight gradient is always built to facilitate drainage and prevent flooding. CPM Exeter builders always seal the floor and wall joins and reinforce floors with a waterproof adhesive to ensure everything is completely protected.
sturdy floor. You can then choose your tiles. For flooring, it’s important to choose tiles that have been manufactured specifically for bathrooms as they will be no-slip and non-porous. To ensure extra grip, and also the added plus side of style, choose a textured stone in a natural finish.

Thinking about how you will design and arrange your wet room is also key. Think about what would suit your home – be it mediterranean stone wet room for a natural home, a simple white clean look for modern properties, or more striking designs such as dark tiles for quirky interiors. Of course, it’s essential to ensure you buy the best of waterproof fixtures such as lights, but don’t worry, this is something our expert bathroom fitters Exeter can advise you on. Simple shapes and layouts are usually the most successful designs for wet rooms as this is in-keeping with the spa-like feel of the room and avoids overcrowding, particularly in smaller rooms. Think carefully about where you will place fittings like towel racks, shelves, and toilet roll holders. Either situate these away from the spray of the shower, or, if your wet room will be small, consider a glass screen by the shower to protect everything in the room becoming soaked when the shower is on.

Contact wet room installers Exeter for expert advice!

Wet rooms are an absolutely amazing choice for anyone looking to insert a bit of class into their bathroom, for lovers of luxury, or simply those who would like a bathroom that is easy to manage and will add value to their home. To create a stunning wet room in your home that you will love, contact one a CPM bathroom fitter in Exeter today for a free no-obligation consultation.